All this month we are building a notebook to help us organize our Bible study. Did you grab your book study page and check out this guide to putting your book together?
I don’t know about you, but for many years I had a problem. I would hear a great message at church or a conference, or even a podcast. I would furiously scrawl notes on whatever scrap of paper I could find, then stuff the notes into my Bible or bookbag. Every few months I would have to clean out the pile of church bulletins, envelopes, and other random pieces of paper containing notes that no longer held any meaning because they had no context. It was messy and frustrating. I wasn’t getting as much out of the messages as I should because my notes didn’t have anywhere to live. Rather than contributing to my overall study of the Bible, they remained a disconnected piece of my spiritual walk.
Keeping a Bible study notebook with a section for speaker notes is one way you can connect what you’ve heard with the other things you’re learning. The practice of organizing your notes is an opportunity to review and remember the points that made an impact. The more we go over things, the more they become ingrained in our minds and eventually, our hearts.
Why Take Notes?
If you think of Bible study as feeding your faith, listening to a sermon or a special message from a speaker might be akin to a dinner party at a friend’s house. It’s as much about the fellowship as it is about the food, which is probably presented differently, perhaps more formally. It might even be a dish that’s more exotic than your usual fare and while you thoroughly enjoy it, you probably won’t be adding it to your own rotation of recipes.
Ultimately, even though the food is different and the presentation is different, it all works together with the other things you’ve eaten throughout the day to nourish and energize your body.
Similarly, I might be reading through Exodus while my church is studying Hebrews. Even though we are not looking at the same passages of Scripture, the Holy Spirit may use what I hear in the sermon to clarify or deepen my understanding of Exodus. The Bible is made up of separate books telling one connected story. You might be pleasantly surprised at how each unique flavor comes together to nourish and energize your faith.
Dress It Up
I like to use doodles when I’m taking notes. Something about keeping my hands busy helps my mind stay engaged while I’m listening. But I also find it useful to highlight keywords, verses or quotes I want to remember or questions I want to research later. The doodles decorating my page later serve to draw my eye back to the things that first caught my attention.
Be sure to get your copy of the Speaker Notes Printable and let your sermon notes season your Bible study!
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